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If you’re taking the PAU in Navarre (formerly the EBAU, or selectividad), the UPNA English exam is one of the most demanding in two respects: in the true or false and the vocabulary there are no partial marks (all or nothing), and the composition is worth 4 of the 10 marks. It also has a grammar exercise worth 2 marks in which you choose 4 of 6 sentences. There’s no listening.
In this guide I explain what the Navarre PAU English exam is like, based on the UPNA’s official guide: what you have to do in each section, how much it’s worth, what loses you marks, how the composition is marked with the rubric and how to manage your time, with examples of each part. All explained from my experience preparing students for official exams. Let’s get started! 🙂
If you’re looking for an overview of the test (what the PAU is, how much English counts towards your mark or what level you need), you’ll find it in my guide to the PAU English exam.
What the Navarre PAU English exam is like
The Inglés II exam lasts 90 minutes, is marked out of 10 and has a text of between 350 and 500 words and five sections:
| Section | Marks | What you have to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Comprehension and expression questions | 2 | Answer 1 or 2 open questions about the text in your own words. |
| 2. True or false | 1 | Decide whether 2 statements are true or false and justify your answer with the text. |
| 3. Synonyms | 1 | Find the word or expression in the text that matches several definitions. |
| 4. Grammar | 2 | Rephrase 4 of 6 sentences using a given word, without changing the meaning. |
| 5. Composition | 4 | Choose one of two topics and write between 140 and 180 words. |
There’s only a choice in section 4 (4 of 6 sentences) and in the composition (one of two topics); everything else is compulsory. All marks are multiples of 0.25.
Section 1: Comprehension and expression questions (2 marks)
There are 1 or 2 open questions about the text. The marks are split equally: 50% for comprehension and 50% for linguistic accuracy. And there are two rules you mustn’t forget:
- If you copy word for word the paragraph or sentences containing the answer, you get zero.
- Don’t give your personal opinion: answer with what the text says.
Here’s an example written for this guide:
Text: Since the city introduced free buses for students, the number of young people who use their cars to get to university has fallen by almost a third.
Question: What effect has the new transport policy had?
- ✅ Because students can now travel by bus without paying, far fewer of them drive to university than before.
- ❌ The number of young people who use their cars to get to university has fallen by almost a third. (copied word for word: 0 marks)
- ❌ I think free buses are a great idea because cars pollute a lot. (that’s your opinion, not what the text says)
Section 2: True or false (1 mark)
There are 2 statements, worth 0.5 marks each, and here there are no partial marks: either 0.5 or 0. Both the decision (TRUE or FALSE) and the justification have to be right, and the justification must be as precise as possible. If you quote too little text or too much, the answer is considered wrong.
Using the extract above:
Statement: Students still have to pay to use the buses.
- ✅ FALSE. «The city introduced free buses for students.»
- ❌ FALSE. «Since the city introduced free buses for students, the number of young people who use their cars to get to university has fallen by almost a third.» (it quotes the whole sentence, too much text: 0 marks)
Section 3: Synonyms (1 mark)
Based on some definitions, you have to find the word or group of words in the text with the same meaning. Each item is worth 0.25 or 0, with nothing in between, and there’s no choice: you have to do them all. The good news is that minor spelling slips aren’t penalised.
Using the extract above, for example, decreased, gone down would be fallen, and nearly would be almost.
Section 4: Grammar (2 marks)
This is the grammar exercise worth the most in the exam. You’re given 6 sentences and choose 4, worth 0.5 marks each, to rephrase starting from a given word and keeping the original meaning. Again, 0.5 or 0, with no partial marks, although minor spelling slips aren’t penalised.
These are the structures that come up most, with examples written for this guide:
| Structure | Original sentence | Rephrasing |
|---|---|---|
| Passive | They will announce the results tomorrow. (BE) | The results will be announced tomorrow. |
| Third conditional | She missed the train because she got up late. (IF) | If she hadn’t got up late, she wouldn’t have missed the train. |
| Reported speech | «Don’t use your phones in class,» the teacher said. (TOLD) | The teacher told us not to use our phones in class. |
| Wish | I’m sorry I can’t come to your party. (WISH) | I wish I could come to your party. |
| Past modals | I’m sure he forgot about the meeting. (MUST) | He must have forgotten about the meeting. |
| Concession | Although it was raining, they played the match. (DESPITE) | Despite the rain, they played the match. |
My tip: read all 6 and choose the 4 you’re surest about. Since there are no partial marks, a safe sentence is worth more than an ambitious one. If you want to revise these structures, have a look at my guides to reported speech and conditional sentences, and B2 Use of English Part 4 is excellent practice.
Section 5: Composition (4 marks)
You’re given two topics and you choose one. Each topic asks for a specific text type and register, and you have to write between 140 and 180 words. The final mark is always a multiple of 0.25.
How the composition is marked
With a rubric of two blocks of 2 marks each:
| Block | What’s assessed |
|---|---|
| Content and presentation (2 marks) | A personal answer, not a prefabricated speech or a repetition of ideas and sentences from the text. Rich in ideas, engaging for the reader, without repetitive or irrelevant information. Tidy presentation, with margins and legible handwriting. Well structured, following the instructions, with coherent ideas and suitable linkers. |
| Language (2 marks) | Accurate, varied and complex sentence structures. Accurate spelling. Wide, varied vocabulary. No interference from other languages and no vocabulary copied from the exam text. Suitable tone and register. |
What matters most about this rubric:
- No memorised compositions: the rubric explicitly penalises a «prefabricated speech». Prepare structures and vocabulary, not whole texts.
- Don’t copy vocabulary from the exam text: that’s penalised too.
- Take care with presentation: margins, paragraphs and legible handwriting are part of the mark.
- Respect the text type and register you’re asked for: an informal email isn’t written like an essay.
You’ll find worked examples of different text types in my other guides: an opinion essay in the Andalusia guide, a for and against essay in the Canary Islands guide, an informal email in the Madrid guide, a formal email in the Murcia guide and an article in the Galicia guide. And to structure your text, my B2 connectors.
Vocabulary for the most common topics
The texts revolve around topics of personal relevance or public interest: technology, the environment, education, work and society. Prepare vocabulary for these topics:
| Topic | For example | Vocabulary on KSE |
|---|---|---|
| Technology and social media | mobile phones, the internet, artificial intelligence | Technology and AI · Social media and the internet |
| The environment | transport, pollution, climate | The environment · The weather |
| Education and work | university, jobs, money | School · Work · Money |
| Free time | sport, travel, food | Sports · Travel · Food |
| People and society | relationships, personality | 100 personality adjectives |
How to manage the 90 minutes
| Part | Time |
|---|---|
| Read the whole text and the questions in sections 1 to 3 | 10 minutes |
| Section 1: comprehension and expression questions | 12 minutes |
| Sections 2 and 3: true or false and synonyms | 8 minutes |
| Section 4: choose and rephrase 4 sentences | 15 minutes |
| Section 5: plan and write the composition | 35 minutes |
| Count your words and check the whole exam | 10 minutes |
How it differs from other regions
If you’ve seen papers from other regions (or my guides to La Rioja, the Basque Country and Aragon), these are the differences that affect you most:
| Navarre | La Rioja | Basque Country | Aragon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| True or false | 2 (no partial marks) | No | 2 of 3 | 3 |
| Open questions | 1 or 2 (2 marks) | 2 (2 marks) | 4 of 6 (2 marks) | 3 of 4 (2.4 marks) |
| Grammar | 4 of 6 rephrasings (2 marks) | Transformations and sentence completion (2 marks) | Transformations and cloze (3 marks) | Multiple choice and transformations (1.1 marks) |
| Composition | 4 marks, 140-180 | 4 marks, 140-180 | 3 marks, about 150 | 4 marks, 120-160 |
Navarre and La Rioja have a very similar mark split (a 4-mark composition of 140-180 words), so their papers are useful practice. What makes the difference in Navarre is that there are no half marks in the true or false, vocabulary and grammar: either you get it completely right or it doesn’t score.
Common mistakes in the Navarre PAU English exam
- Copying from the text word for word in the open questions: you get 0.
- Giving your opinion in the open questions instead of what the text says.
- Justifying the true or false with too much or too little text.
- Choosing the hardest sentences in section 4: there are no partial marks.
- Bringing a memorised composition that doesn’t answer the topic exactly.
- Copying vocabulary from the text in the composition.
- Writing fewer than 140 words or more than 180.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Navarre PAU in 2027?
The UPNA hasn’t published the 2027 dates yet. As soon as the calendar comes out, I’ll add it here.
Is the English exam changing in 2027?
At the time of writing, the UPNA hasn’t published a new guide for 2026-2027, so this guide follows the current one, for 2025-2026. If anything changes, I’ll update this guide.
Is there a listening test in the Navarre PAU English exam?
No. The whole exam is written: reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and a composition.
Can I choose the questions?
Only in two sections: you choose 4 of the 6 grammar sentences and one of the two composition topics. Everything else is compulsory.
Are spelling mistakes penalised?
In vocabulary and grammar, minor spelling slips aren’t penalised. In the open questions and the composition, linguistic accuracy (spelling included) is part of the mark.
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Good luck with the PAU and, until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 🙂
